The Coexist bumper sticker has received a lot of criticism from people of various faiths. Many Christians note that it appears to be aimed at Christianity, the faith that is so often accused of "intolerance" due to the strength of our beliefs. Others note the irony of the inclusion of the Islamic moon and star despite the fact that intolerance is a fundamental part of the religion. But the most startling response I have ever seen to the sticker is one I found while looking for an image to put in a different meme. Apparently, it would be easier to read and implement if you got rid of religion.
The first statement is understandable. When you take any letter and replace it with a symbol that vaguely resembles it, it naturally becomes harder to read. I'm not sure why atheists think that's worth mentioning, but they are known for nit picking.
The second objection is what makes this so scary. It'll be easier to implement if you "got rid of all the damn religion"? Firstly, that's the opposite of what the bumper sticker claims to want. Co-existence and utter compliance are the exact opposite. One requires the equal treatment of individuals who don't agree with you. If you think someone's religion is wrong, tough. If you're able to live in peace with them, do it (Romans 12:18). Even if you think they're incredibly stupid, you should not treat them any differently than you would treat someone who believes exactly what you do. This is called being civilised. Yet, in the mind of whoever made this meme, the only way to achieve co-existence is for atheists to not co-exist with anyone who disagrees with their atheism. As my politics teacher once said to a girl who suggested this exact same thing: "I think some guy called Hitler tried that in Germany."
And indeed he did. Hitler wanted to destroy the "Christian pestilence", and I don't think I need to explain to you how he felt about the Jews. Islam, he actually seems to have gotten on ok with, but I can't imagine that would have lasted too long had he won the war. Stalin wasn't too friendly with theists either. Torturing the religious in gulags was his favourite sport. Even today, dictators like Kim Jong Un aren't too friendly towards religious believers.
But what's ironic about this is that the meme maker, whether he admits it or not, is also religious. Religion does not automatically mean Theism. This can be demonstrated just by pointing out that Buddhism, a religion universally recognised as a religion, does not preach the existence of a god. Whether the meme maker likes it or not, they have beliefs about the cause, nature and purpose of the universe that they must accept purely on faith (called an axiom), and their worldview is built on these axioms. For example, they quite clearly believe that there is no God. That is a statement about the cause, nature and purpose of the universe. To illustrate this, imagine I picked up a Bible and said "This is not made of paper, and was not written by humans." Despite being what atheists call a negative statement, it is a statement nonetheless, and it is not a sane one. It is a statement about the cause (I denied the author), nature (I rejected its materials) and purpose (if it has no author, it has no purpose) of the Bible. Even if I don't state what I do believe (most atheists tend to believe in Evolution), I am still making a belief statement about the book. In the same way, when an atheist says "we should get rid of religion", they are denying that God created, sustains and has a plan for the universe.
So, to sum up, this particular criticism of the Coexist bumper sticker frames itself as constructive, but it is, in reality, nothing more than a self-contradictory threat of violence. It claims that the best way to achieve coexistence is through non-coexistence. In reality, the best way to achieve coexistence isn't to get rid of religion, but to get rid of the attitude that says if you disagree with someone, that gives you an excuse to disrespect them. That would include deleting this meme, and the meme maker bowing their head in shame for making it.